Wednesday, May 28, 2014

How long Will We Remember Dunya?

This is a very disturbing article written by Ruwayda Mustafah Rabar for the Kurdish new service Rudaw (Event)

An unnamed 45-year-old man murdered his 15-year-old wife on May 23 in thedistrict of Kalakji in the city of Duhok. I will spare readers no details, because itis important for people to understand what a little girl endured at the hands of an evil man.

For years, we have seen countless incidents of Kurdish women violentlybeaten, raped, killed. And for reasons unknown to me, nothing changes withhow we approach these cases. The incident will be all over the news for aweek, maybe two weeks, if women are lucky, and then suddenly people forgetabout it.

Dunya was brutally killed -- her breasts cut off, genitals cut into pieces, shotnine times, her body tied to a car and dragged around, eyes removed. Whenher body was washed for burial, the undertaker who washed her body toldRudaw that, as she poured water over her body, she could hear the grinding ofher broken bones.

Immediately following the murder, the Union of Islamic scholars in Kurdistan
demanded an investigation into the murder, and Kurdish society once more
practiced their time-contingent outrages that seem tochange like the British weather.

Following the news, a demonstration was announced on Facebook, dubbed“Stand up for Dunya” outside the Kurdistani Parliament in Erbil -- alongside avigil for people to pay their respects. In an effort to make ourselves feel better -- less responsible and more proactive – I am sure many meetings andworkshops will be arranged in the future in light of this incident.

However, what I am more concerned about is, once the media find something
more interesting to talk about, and when the Kurdish society’s moral outrage
withers away, what will happen to the countless young girls stuck in marriages,
or the thousands of Kurdish women who find no haven to escape abusive
marriages and partners.

It has become inbred in our culture that by escaping a violent marriage, seekingshelter houses, calling the police, demanding equality, we are shaming ourfamilies. In fact, we are shaming our families by accepting horrific violations ofour personal sovereignty and integrity. We have been misguided to accept thatcertain acts are not cohesive with Kurdish culture, but the truth is, violenceagainst women is not cohesive with Kurdish culture.

Our society is very polarized in this regard -- from those who claim thatKurdistan is backward in every regard and have little room for women -- tothose who claim Kurdistan is a liberating haven for women. Neither side seemsto depict the truer and more complex situation of Kurdish women.

We’re still transitioning into a fully democratic society that respects the rights of
women and embodies universal standards. This does not mean we accept violations
of the rights of women simply because we are “transitioning,” but rather the firstpart of the solution is to understand the problems we are facing.

Significant numbers of Kurdish women are highly educated, and there are manywho hold prestigious jobs, and many Kurdish women are independent,hardworking and successful women. However, we still have women and girlswho are, similar to many countries in the world, forced into marriages or givenno choice but to endure abusive marriages.

The pressing question, I’m fullyaware, is not about whether Kurdish women or Kurdish society is progressive,but rather about this particular case and how we should respond to it.There is no doubt that in the coming weeks Dunya will stop making headlines.

Her case, like the previous cases of two young girls murdered and thrown intoa lake, or the recent case of a Syrian refugee who was raped, will be forgotten.It is important for the Kurdish government and charities to support endeavorsthat are specifically designed to let young girls like Dunya and other womenknow that there are ways to be helped. We need these women to understand that
we live in a society that can protect them, that can offer them shelterhouses. I understand that there are many problems with the current shelterhouses, how they are shunned and mistreated in some instances, but it is stillbetter than having your genitals severed, eyes gouged out, breasts cut off,body tied to a car and shot in the face. We can improve the services that areavailable, but we cannot rule them out as an option.

It deeply saddens me to write about these incidents, especially when Kurdishmedia outlets have shown so little respect to Dunya. Pictures of her covered inblood and her body severed by the gruesome violence inflicted on her are onevery media outlet’s coverage.

These pictures have gone viral on social networking sites and it sickens me that
we still don’t have responsible journalism, that we still think it is appropriate to
use such horrific pictures for the sake of sensationalizing the situation and turning
it into a media witch hunt for more views, likes and fans.

Perhaps, once we learn to respect women’s bodies, and give them their due rights,
as equal to men in Kurdish society, we will forgo this horrendous practice.

An
unnamed 45-year-old man murdered his 15-year-old wife on May 23 in the
district of Kalakji in the city of Duhok. I will spare readers no
details, because it is important for people to understand what a little
girl endured at the hands of an evil man.

For years, we have seen countless incidents of Kurdish women
violently beaten, raped, killed. And for reasons unknown to me, nothing
changes with how we approach these cases. The incident will be all over
the news for a week, maybe two weeks, if women are lucky, and then
suddenly people forget about it.

Dunya was brutally killed -- her breasts cut off, genitals cut
into pieces, shot nine times, her body tied to a car and dragged around,
eyes removed. When her body was washed for burial, the undertaker who
washed her body told Rudaw that, as she poured water over her body, she
could hear the grinding of her broken bones. Immediately following the
murder, the Union of Islamic scholars in Kurdistan demanded an
investigation into the murder, and Kurdish society once more practiced
their time-contingent outrages that seem to change like the British
weather.

Following the news, a demonstration was announced on Facebook,
dubbed “Stand up for Dunya” outside the Kurdistani Parliament in Erbil
-- alongside a vigil for people to pay their respects. In an effort to
make ourselves feel better -- less responsible and more proactive – I am
sure many meetings and workshops will be arranged in the future in
light of this incident. However, what I am more concerned about is, once
the media find something more interesting to talk about, and when the
Kurdish society’s moral outrage withers away, what will happen to the
countless young girls stuck in marriages, or the thousands of Kurdish
women who find no haven to escape abusive marriages and partners.

It has become inbred in our culture that by escaping a violent
marriage, seeking shelter houses, calling the police, demanding
equality, we are shaming our families. In fact, we are shaming our
families by accepting horrific violations of our personal sovereignty
and integrity. We have been misguided to accept that certain acts are
not cohesive with Kurdish culture, but the truth is, violence against
women is not cohesive with Kurdish culture.

Our society is very polarized in this regard -- from those who
claim that Kurdistan is backward in every regard and have little room
for women -- to those who claim Kurdistan is a liberating haven for
women. Neither side seems to depict the truer and more complex situation
of Kurdish women. We’re still transitioning into a fully democratic
society that respects the rights of women and embodies universal
standards. This does not mean we accept violations of the rights of
women simply because we are “transitioning,” but rather the first part
of the solution is to understand the problems we are facing.

Significant numbers of Kurdish women are highly educated, and
there are many who hold prestigious jobs, and many Kurdish women are
independent, hardworking and successful women. However, we still have
women and girls who are, similar to many countries in the world, forced
into marriages or given no choice but to endure abusive marriages. The
pressing question, I’m fully aware, is not about whether Kurdish women
or Kurdish society is progressive, but rather about this particular case
and how we should respond to it.

- See more at: http://rudaw.net/NewsDetails.aspx?PageID=48392#sthash.8D6h4UXw.dpuf

An
unnamed 45-year-old man murdered his 15-year-old wife on May 23 in the
district of Kalakji in the city of Duhok. I will spare readers no
details, because it is important for people to understand what a little
girl endured at the hands of an evil man.

For years, we have seen countless incidents of Kurdish women
violently beaten, raped, killed. And for reasons unknown to me, nothing
changes with how we approach these cases. The incident will be all over
the news for a week, maybe two weeks, if women are lucky, and then
suddenly people forget about it.

Dunya was brutally killed -- her breasts cut off, genitals cut
into pieces, shot nine times, her body tied to a car and dragged around,
eyes removed. When her body was washed for burial, the undertaker who
washed her body told Rudaw that, as she poured water over her body, she
could hear the grinding of her broken bones. Immediately following the
murder, the Union of Islamic scholars in Kurdistan demanded an
investigation into the murder, and Kurdish society once more practiced
their time-contingent outrages that seem to change like the British
weather.

Following the news, a demonstration was announced on Facebook,
dubbed “Stand up for Dunya” outside the Kurdistani Parliament in Erbil
-- alongside a vigil for people to pay their respects. In an effort to
make ourselves feel better -- less responsible and more proactive – I am
sure many meetings and workshops will be arranged in the future in
light of this incident. However, what I am more concerned about is, once
the media find something more interesting to talk about, and when the
Kurdish society’s moral outrage withers away, what will happen to the
countless young girls stuck in marriages, or the thousands of Kurdish
women who find no haven to escape abusive marriages and partners.

It has become inbred in our culture that by escaping a violent
marriage, seeking shelter houses, calling the police, demanding
equality, we are shaming our families. In fact, we are shaming our
families by accepting horrific violations of our personal sovereignty
and integrity. We have been misguided to accept that certain acts are
not cohesive with Kurdish culture, but the truth is, violence against
women is not cohesive with Kurdish culture.

Our society is very polarized in this regard -- from those who
claim that Kurdistan is backward in every regard and have little room
for women -- to those who claim Kurdistan is a liberating haven for
women. Neither side seems to depict the truer and more complex situation
of Kurdish women. We’re still transitioning into a fully democratic
society that respects the rights of women and embodies universal
standards. This does not mean we accept violations of the rights of
women simply because we are “transitioning,” but rather the first part
of the solution is to understand the problems we are facing.

Significant numbers of Kurdish women are highly educated, and
there are many who hold prestigious jobs, and many Kurdish women are
independent, hardworking and successful women. However, we still have
women and girls who are, similar to many countries in the world, forced
into marriages or given no choice but to endure abusive marriages. The
pressing question, I’m fully aware, is not about whether Kurdish women
or Kurdish society is progressive, but rather about this particular case
and how we should respond to it.

There is no doubt that in the coming weeks Dunya will stop
making headlines. Her case, like the previous cases of two young girls
murdered and thrown into a lake, or the recent case of a Syrian refugee
who was raped, will be forgotten. It is important for the Kurdish
government and charities to support endeavors that are specifically
designed to let young girls like Dunya and other women know that there
are ways to be helped. We need these women to understand that we live in
a society that can protect them, that can offer them shelter houses. I
understand that there are many problems with the current shelter houses,
how they are shunned and mistreated in some instances, but it is still
better than having your genitals severed, eyes gouged out, breasts cut
off, body tied to a car and shot in the face. We can improve the
services that are available, but we cannot rule them out as an option.

It deeply saddens me to write about these incidents, especially
when Kurdish media outlets have shown so little respect to Dunya.
Pictures of her covered in blood and her body severed by the gruesome
violence inflicted on her are on every media outlet’s coverage. These
pictures have gone viral on social networking sites and it sickens me
that we still don’t have responsible journalism, that we still think it
is appropriate to use such horrific pictures for the sake of
sensationalizing the situation and turning it into a media witch hunt
for more views, likes and fans. Perhaps, once we learn to respect
women’s bodies, and give them their due rights, as equal to men in
Kurdish society, we will forgo this horrendous practice.
- See more at: http://rudaw.net/NewsDetails.aspx?PageID=48392#sthash.8D6h4UXw.dpufAn unnamed 45-year-old man murdered his 15-year-old wife on May 23 in thedistrict of Kalakji in the city of Duhok. I will spare readers no details, because itis important for people to understand what a little girl endured at the hands ofan evil man.For years, we have seen countless incidents of Kurdish women violentlybeaten, raped, killed. And for reasons unknown to me, nothing changes withhow we approach these cases. The incident will be all over the news for aweek, maybe two weeks, if women are lucky, and then suddenly people forgetabout it.Dunya was brutally killed -- her breasts cut off, genitals cut into pieces, shotnine times, her body tied to a car and dragged around, eyes removed. Whenher body was washed for burial, the undertaker who washed her body toldRudaw that, as she poured water over her body, she could hear the grinding ofher broken bones. Immediately following the murder, the Union of Islamicscholars in Kurdistan demanded an investigation into the murder, and Kurdishsociety once more practiced their time-contingent outrages that seem tochange like the British weather.Following the news, a demonstration was announced on Facebook, dubbed“Stand up for Dunya” outside the Kurdistani Parliament in Erbil -- alongside avigil for people to pay their respects. In an effort to make ourselves feel better -- less responsible and more proactive – I am sure many meetings andworkshops will be arranged in the future in light of this incident. However, whatI am more concerned about is, once the media find something more interestingto talk about, and when the Kurdish society’s moral outrage withers away, whatwill happen to the countless young girls stuck in marriages, or the thousands ofKurdish women who find no haven to escape abusive marriages and partners.It has become inbred in our culture that by escaping a violent marriage, seekingshelter houses, calling the police, demanding equality, we are shaming ourfamilies. In fact, we are shaming our families by accepting horrific violations ofour personal sovereignty and integrity. We have been misguided to accept thatcertain acts are not cohesive with Kurdish culture, but the truth is, violenceagainst women is not cohesive with Kurdish culture.Our society is very polarized in this regard -- from those who claim thatKurdistan is backward in every regard and have little room for women -- tothose who claim Kurdistan is a liberating haven for women. Neither side seemsto depict the truer and more complex situation of Kurdish women. We’re stilltransitioning into a fully democratic society that respects the rights of womenand embodies universal standards. This does not mean we accept violations ofthe rights of women simply because we are “transitioning,” but rather the firstpart of the solution is to understand the problems we are facing.Significant numbers of Kurdish women are highly educated, and there are manywho hold prestigious jobs, and many Kurdish women are independent,hardworking and successful women. However, we still have women and girlswho are, similar to many countries in the world, forced into marriages or givenno choice but to endure abusive marriages. The pressing question, I’m fullyaware, is not about whether Kurdish women or Kurdish society is progressive,but rather about this particular case and how we should respond to it.There is no doubt that in the coming weeks Dunya will stop making headlines.Her case, like the previous cases of two young girls murdered and thrown intoa lake, or the recent case of a Syrian refugee who was raped, will be forgotten.It is important for the Kurdish government and charities to support endeavorsthat are specifically designed to let young girls like Dunya and other womenknow that there are ways to be helped. We need these women to understandHow Long Will We Remember Dunya?http://rudaw

About Me

Eric Davis is Executive Director, MA Program in Political Science - Concentration in United Nations and Global Policy Studies, Professor of Political Science and the former director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA. He is author of CHALLENGING COLONIALISM: BANK MISR AND EGYPTIAN INDUSTRIALIZATION, 1920-1941 (Princeton University Press, 1983; Institute for Arab Development, Beirut, 1986, and Dar al-Sharook, Cairo, 2009); STATECRAFT IN THE MIDDLE EAST: OIL, HISTORICAL MEMORY AND POPULAR CULTURE (University Presses of Florida, 1993); MEMORIES OF STATE: POLITICS, HISTORY AND COLLECTIVE IDENTITY IN MODERN IRAQ (University of California Press, 2005; Arab Institute for Research and Publishing, 2008; and the forthcoming, TAKING DEMOCRACY SERIOUSLY IN IRAQ (Cambridge University Press). Currently, he is writing a book on the Islamic State and the changing modalities of terrorism in the Middle East. He can be contacted at davis@polisci.rutgers.edu and @NewMidEast